Fighting to Live Again
by Tattooed.Mommy.To.Be
Summary: SEQUEL to Learning to Live Again. Many characters are included. Human World falls into despair as a third World War breaks loose, but who they're fighting may not be who you might think. This a dark fic; death, destruction, angst. I don't own YYH! Enjoy
1. Chapter 1: If You Only Knew

Fighting to Live Again

_**Author's Note: This is a sequel to Learning to Live Again. Please read that story first, otherwise this story may not make much sense. :) Please let me know what you think about this by leaving your opinions through a review or a private message. I love reading what you all think. :) Pairings are: YusukexAurora(OC), KuwabaraxKeiko and HieixMukuro. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuYuHakusho, its universe or its characters. I only own my plot. I do not make any money off of this story. **_

_**Thanks and enjoy...**_

_Chapter One: If You Only Knew_

Nearly twenty years had passed since the war fought in Yusuke's lands. Yusuke and Kurama frequented Human World to visit their family and friends. Aurora never accompanied them. Not unlike their fiery friend Hiei, she had a decided dislike for humans. Since she had no family nor acquaintances there, she really had no reason to go along. Yusuke never minded, well, not openly. He wished sometimes that she would go to meet Kuwabara or his mother. However, he never pressed the issue. And neither did Kurama, for whatever reason.

Kurama's mother was still doing quite well. Her husband had retired, and for the most part, they spent their years in quietude. The younger Shuichi was now married with a young son of his own. Interestingly, they named him Kurama. Now, whether or not that was a coincidence, Kurama still wasn't completely sure. He knew that his younger step-sibling was always a bit suspicious and ever-perceptional. Still, regardless, he didn't mind sharing his birth name with his adorable, little nephew.

Yusuke's mother finally married not long after he had taken up full residence in Demon World. She now lived with the man on the west end of town. Yusuke liked him. He managed to keep his mother clean and had significantly reduced her drinking habit. He was also a bit better off than most of her boyfriends.

Four years after the war in Yusuke's lands, Kuwabara had confided something. He was in love. _I know. _Yusuke had said, thinking of Yukina. Kuwabara had shaken his head. _With Keiko. I'm gonna propose._ At first, Yusuke couldn't make any real words pass over his lips; he had merely nodded. He wasn't angry, how could he be? He was just... shocked. After a few minutes with Kuwabara fearing the worst, Yusuke managed a real smile. _Good for you, _Yusuke murmured with sincerity. _I'll be expecting an invite._

The wedding of Keiko Yukimura to Kuzuma Kuwabara had a beautiful occasion. The bridesmaids were Shizuru, Botan and Yukina. The groomsmen were Yusuke, Kurama and Hiei. Everyone, even Hiei, enjoyed themselves. Shizura, while being escorted down the aisle by her brother's best friend, had whispered quietly, _thank you, Yusuke. _The demon king eyed her. _For what? _She smiled, the tears filling her hazel eyes. _For allowing him this happiness. _To this day, Yusuke sometimes still pondered her words, wondering exactly what she had meant.

Keiko and Kuwabara had their first child three years later, a girl. They named her Genkai, in loving memory of an old friend. She was beautiful, Yusuke decided. Hair of her mother, eyes of her father. She possessed no fighting abilities like her father, though, in many ways she took after her favorite aunt. Not unlike Shizuru, she had had her first vision at a young age. It had been nothing too surprising, but it brought smiles to many faces. _Mommy is going to have another baby._ She informed the elder Kuwabara sibling in her sweet, little, singsong voice. Shizuru smiled, she had seen the very same thing. In fact, over the coarse of the next decade, it seemed Keiko would be having three more babies.

Shizuru, herself, never really did find romantic love. When asked, she would smile; a smile extremely similar to Kurama's, and say, _I never needed a man to validate myself. _In truth, though she never spoke of it, her heart belonged to a man she could never have. He was gone, gone forever. Because of that, she never found another, and instead, she took on her role of favorite aunt quite seriously.

Genkai, Yusuke's favorite mentor, passed on from the world of the living a few years later. She was content with her life. As she told them more than once, _I've had a good, long life. No tears when I'm gone. _Though Yusuke did his best to respect that wish, hours after her funeral was over and everyone else was asleep, he couldn't hold back the sobs. The tears he shed were not for her, they were for himself. Her death was an undeniable reminder of what was to come in his life. He would outlive nearly everyone he ever cared for, Kurama and Hiei included, as they were several hundred years his elder. For a few hours, he allowed himself to feel some things he never usually did; misery, self-doubt and loneliness. After the night was over, he locked those feelings away for the day he lost the next person he loved.

In the years that followed, they all climbed those steep, never-ending stairs to visit their favorite mentor. Genkai's grave was beautiful in its simplicity. It was a dark stone with her name inscribed into it. All year round, snow or sun, a single red rose was always in bloom right in front of her stone. A reminder that she was never forgotten. It was, of course, Kurama's handiwork.

More recently, Hiei had done something that surprised many. He had mated with Mukuro. It was a private affair, but not without well-wishes after from his friends. Outwardly grudgingly, though inwardly proudly, Hiei allowed Yusuke and Kurama to throw a congratulatory party in honor of the two "newly weds", as Yusuke called them.

Kurama remained a constant resident at Yusuke's Tourin fortress. Though he visited his mother often, he had long ago realized Demon World always had been and always would be, his home.

Koenma and Botan remained at the forefront of the Spirit World. Every so often, Koenma would call upon his ex-employees when he needed some experience or simply some muscle to get rid of a problem, usually in the Human Realm. Though his father had fired them, Koenma made no never-mind about requesting their occasional assistance. Usually, one or more of them were happy to help.

Lastly, Yusuke decided he, too, deserved happiness in the arms of a lover. One cold winter day, he pulled Kurama aside. _I need to ask you something_. The demon king had murmured to the fox. _Anything, Yusuke. _Kurama already knew exactly what was about to be asked. _I love her, fox-boy, and I'm asking your permission to propose to her. _Kurama smiled. _You do not need my permission. _Yusuke had laughed and muttered, _yeah right._

Kurama did not mind at all that his dearest friend was in love with his sister. In fact, it had happened once before. Though he had been very careful to give Yusuke a warning. _Be careful with her, Yusuke. She is not as unfailingly strong as she can seem. Go slow. Take everything with her one step at a time. Remind her often that you love her. In the face of her tears, be silent and hold her. In the face of her anger, let it burn itself out. In the face of her laughter, join in. In the face of her neutrality, encourage her emotion. Do not be afraid to love her._

Over the course of twenty years, life fell into an easy pattern. One filled with countless times of joy and laughter. One not without reminders of mortality and loss. One enjoyed by many. Though time and distance separated the ex-Spirit Detectives and their friends and family, they reunited often. Demon World fell into a time of relative peace and prosperity. Human World remained mostly in the dark of the reality of that other race who often coexisted in their world. However, as they say, all good things must come to an end.

Yusuke would look back upon those quite years and wonder, fruitlessly, where it all began. When exactly was the beginning of the end? Where did they go wrong? In what point in time did they become so comfortable with their uneventful lives that reality escaped them? And lastly, most importantly and impossibly, who's fault was it?

:-:-:-:-:

Yusuke sat quietly, watching the woman he had come to love. She sipped lightly at the cup of coffee in front of her. Though it was not a very common beverage in the Makai, Yusuke and Kurama had introduced it to her after one of their Human World visits, and she had taken a strong liking to it. The same went for the cigarette she had just been enjoying, which now rested extinguished in the tray sitting nearby.

He could tell by the gentle haze glazing her eyes that her thoughts were not currently on anything close by. He realized, with some concern, that this had been becoming a more frequent occurrence recently. He realized, too, that there was something she wasn't telling him. He didn't know what it was yet, though. He resisted the urge to sigh. She was too much like her brother in that way. The exact moment he pointed out the fact that he could see there was something bothering her, she would avidly deny it and do better to hide it further. He needed to figure it out on his own, or at least without involving her. He made a mental note to ask Kurama when he saw him later that day.

Moving with pointed slowness, he took the empty coffee cup away from her lax grip. He was immediately doused in cold fear when she did not even blink. "Rora?" he asked softly. She didn't seem to be aware of where she was, the fact that she hadn't blinked in minutes or that he had spoken to her. Touching her shoulder, he tried again, "Aurora."

She gasped. He noted briefly that she had also, apparently been holding her breath. "Yusuke?"

Yusuke felt himself pale. She asked, in both tone and inflection as though she truly wasn't sure. "Yes," he murmured with carefully gentle deliberateness. "Who else would I be?"

At the utter fear in her eyes, he placed more effort into smoothing the lines of concern from his face and offering a gentle smile. The visible fear did not ease. In fact, if anything, it merely increased. This was extremely unnatural of her. Even with Yusuke and her brother, there were always carefully constructed walls that separated those she loved from emotions such as this one. "Is Kurama here?"

Yusuke swallowed, not missing the the deliberate way in which she phrased that question. 'Kurama', not 'Yoko' or 'my brother', as she nearly always referred to him, and 'is he here', not 'where is he'. Which she should have known. "Yes, in his room." It was still early, the fact that he was not drinking coffee with them right now meant that he had not left his room this morning yet.

She surged to her feet without another word and whirled in the direction of her brother's room. Dread swirling through his mind, Yusuke followed her. _Something is very wrong..._

Without knocking, Aurora opened the door and stopped just past the threshold. "Kurama." It was spoken urgently, regardless of her quiet vocalization. If she was afraid, Yusuke decided, then he had a damn good reason to be so himself.

The fox in question did not respond at first. He was still in bed, uncommon for him, but not unheard of. Slowly, with Aurora stepping closer to the bed with each moment of silence, he turned sleepy green eyes to them. "Yes?" Though his eyes stated he was just waking up, his voice was as clear as ever.

Crying out softly, his sister rushed to the bed. "Oh gods..."

It was instantly apparent Kurama was equally unsure of this as Yusuke. Confusion was evident in the green-eyed stare he gave Yusuke as he pulled his sister into a hug, hushing her tears gently. Yusuke could only shake his head, concern and fear etched vividly across his face.

Finally, she lifted her head to gaze at him, as though he wasn't real. She touched his face with infinite care, as though he might break. She hardly dared to breathe, as though she might shatter this moment. "You're alive," she breathed.

Realization hit Kurama like a ton of bricks. "Yes," he reassured her with the same amount of gentleness and deliberateness Yusuke had only a few minutes before. "What did you see?"

"See?" Yusuke echoed quietly, also beginning to understand.

"I won't let it happen," she told him passionately, as though he might not believe her. "I won't allow it."

"What did you see?" he repeated carefully.

"I'll show you," she whispered. When they had gotten to their feet beside his bed, she raised one hand to Kurama's forehead.

Yusuke had only seen Aurora do this a small number of times; he could count those times on one hand, with fingers to spare. He knew why; Kurama had told him. It was extremely mentally draining to portray memories to someone else like that, it was even more difficult to show memories of visions, as they were often obscured, blurry and as easy to catch as smoke. What the meaning of these visions were was equally as vague, the pictures and images overtaking the last in rapid succession, with no clear order or time-line.

Kurama held his breath as he watched, transfixed, by what she showed him. He no longer had to wonder what had her so worked up and fearful. It was now quite clear.

_ Yusuke stood atop a hill, before a vast army. He was alone. He was nearly unrecognizable. His body was still muscular but it was much too thin. There were dark circles scoring his eyes. His clothes were torn and filthy, his hair was unkempt and greasy. His eyes... They were the worst part. Emotionless, dead brown eyes, more mud than chocolate gazed hopelessly forward..._

_ Hiei lay bleeding on the ground. Wincing, he tried to speak. Yusuke knelt beside him, also speaking. However, it was as though someone had pressed mute; no sound at all could be heard..._

_ Aurora, herself, sat sobbing in a lone chair within a filthy room. She was dressed in human clothing; they did not seem to fit her well. She, as the others did, looked sickly thin, but there was something decidedly wrong with her stomach... _

_ Kurama dropped to one knee. It was quite plain he would not be getting back up. The life had clearly left his eyes before he even hit the ground... _

_ Keiko, a very pregnant Keiko, was being supported by an exhausted-looking Shizuru, with Botan standing nearby, all of them in tears. An unfamiliar man was lying facedown and very still before the three of them..._

_ Yusuke held Aurora close, swaying and stepping in time to what was most likely some kind of music. There was no mistaking the love in his gaze as he stared at her, no mistaking the careful gentleness he used while holding her. This should have been a happy scene, but their faces were too pale, eyes too tired, frames too thin and clothes too tattered. Then, for just an instant, she smiled at him. It was a heartbroken smile, weak and fragile, but it caused a light to ignite in his expression. Hope..._

_ Koenma was seated behind his desk in Spirit World, gazing helplessly at a piece of paper before him. What was written upon it could not be seen as a single tear dripped from his eye to the parchment..._

_ Kuwabara, with a sad smile embraced Yusuke tightly, mouth moving in speech, but like before, there was no sound..._

_ Yusuke jumped quickly into the path of a large piece of shrapnel, saving Keiko and Botan from being struck instead. The metal stuck out of his back at an odd angle and he dropped, face first, onto the pavement. His blood began to pool as Hiei blurred to his side..._

_ Kurama again, though this scene in which he was dying was different. With one bloody hand clasping Aurora's and the other tracing her face gently, he spoke to her before he died. The words, this time, were discernible by reading his lips. "Name her N__ozomi*__..."_

_ A bomb was exploding, buildings were falling, ash was coating the air. Another bomb was dropped, adding to the obvious chaos of wherever this was... _

_ Snow fell around and on top of a grave marker, nearly black, a heavy contrast against all the white. The image faded before the name could be read..._

Kurama stepped away from his sister slightly, gasping. He wasn't sure what that all meant, but he was certain it occurred in the Ningenkai, that much was clear. Death was heavy within those visions, which was rather rare. Usually, they were much more vague, merely hints at what could or would happen. "Dear Inari..." was all he could manage to speak for a long time.

Yusuke stepped forward. "I want to see," he murmured with some determination. It wasn't needed however, as Aurora simply nodded and beckoned him forward.

By the time the last image had flowed from her fingertips, through his mind, her eyes had taken on an immense exhaustion. As her trembling hand fell away, she stumbled gently. Though he was lost in as much confusion and terror as Kurama had been, Yusuke did not allow her to sway any further by closing the small gap between them and holding her close. His eyes however, were not focused upon her; they stared blankly forward in an attempt to process what they'd just indirectly seen.

"Will those things all happen?" he finally asked quietly, breath still ragged and quick.

She shook her head faintly. "Not all of them, no."

Kurama explained further, "Some of those things will. It's quite difficult to predict. Some change based on our actions, some merely on fate. Others are destined to be and will not change, regardless of what we do in an attempt to prevent them."

Yusuke's eyes focused onto Kurama. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he said, "I won't let it happen, either, fox-boy."

Something like a smile graced his lips, "I know, Yusuke."

"Well, what do we do now?" The dark-haired man asked softly.

Aurora frowned, Kurama sighed. "We need to get in touch with someone who may know more of what this might mean."

Aurora's frown deepened as Yusuke caught Kurama's drift; Koenma, the King of Spirit World.

_**AN: Nozomi is a girl's name, meaning Hope.**_

_**Let me know what you think of this first chapter! Tell me if you caught any of the subtle hints. Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Until the next update...**_


	2. Chapter 2: Of Realizations and Returns

Fighting to Live Again

_**Author's Note: This is a sequel to Learning to Live Again. Please read that story first, otherwise this story may not make much sense. :) Please let me know what you think about this by leaving your opinions through a review or a private message. I love reading what you all think. :) Pairings are: YusukexAurora(OC), KuwabaraxKeiko and HieixMukuro. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuYuHakusho, its universe or its characters. I only own my plot and my character, Aurora. I do not make any money off of this story. **_

_**Thanks and enjoy...**_

_Chapter Two: Of Realizations and Returns_

Shizuru closed her book with a snap. "Genkai, why are you yelling?" she called down the stairs to her eldest niece. No reply came. A cold chill raced down the woman's spine. "Genkai?" she called again.

"No! No!"

Shizuru ran down the flight of stairs to the guest room. The guest room that Genkai had called her own since she was a small child. It was clear that she loved her Aunty Shizuru very much; they had been close since the day she was born. Throwing open the sliding wood panel door, Shizuru found her niece laying face-down beside the bed. Kneeling and fearing the worst, she shook the teen. "Genkai," she whispered. "Wake up."

"I'm awake," came the mumbled reply.

"Why were you yelling?"

The girl shifted and sat up. "I saw... terrible things, Aunty."

Understanding dawned. "What did the vision show you?"

"Uncle Yusuke."

"And what about him?" she coaxed gently.

"He died."

:-:-:-:-:

"What did you say, sis?"

"Listen, bro, just come pick her up, alright?" Shizuru snapped into the receiver of the phone. "I'll explain everything when you get here." Quickly, she added, "And do _not_ bring Keiko."

"But-"

"Just do it! Get here as soon as you can, and leave Keiko at home! Got it?"

"Yeah," Kuwabara sighed, resigned. "I'll be there in 20."

Shizuru set the phone down. Slowly, her head came to rest in her hands. Why now? Why again? She and Yusuke were not in any real way related, but she loved that stubborn kid. And even though he wasn't actually a kid anymore, it was easy for her to call him one. He still had the face of a young man and the typical perverted humor. He still was, and always would be, her little brother. "He can't die," she muttered to no one in particular.

She wanted to believe that Genkai had been wrong, had misinterpreted the vision. The truth, however, was that she had seen it a long time ago. Before the Dark Tournament finals, she had had a dark vision. One of death, destruction and sorrow. Yusuke, and several others she now held dear lost their lives in what she saw. For a long time, she believed she was seeing the battle with Sensui. But the scene had been all wrong. Yusuke had died then, but it wasn't the death she had seen.

The door bell ringing brought her from her reprieve. "It's open," she called.

Kuwabara stepped over the threshold. "Alright," his expression was stern. "What's going on?"

His older sister sighed, "You'd better sit down. We need to talk."

:-:-:-:-:-:

"I believe we should get in contact with Koenma," Kurama murmured. He sat quietly at the table with Yusuke and Aurora. Hiei had already been contacted and was on his way.

Yusuke nodded. Aurora remained silent. Though many thoughts were churning in three separate heads, no one spoke. Kurama, of course, was mapping out all possible explanations for what they had seen. There were several plausible conclusions, though none of them inspired much hope. Yusuke was trying to think of a way to prevent any and all of the things he had seen. There had to be a way, he kept telling himself silently. Aurora was returning over the images one by one, over and over; trying desperately to take note of any and all relevant information. Trying to find anything she had previously missed.

The sound of the fortress doors opening to admit their visitor was the next sound to break the heavy silence. Hiei swept into the room. "Show me what you saw," he demanded in a most Hiei-like fashion.

Aurora nodded and got to her feet. As she extended her hand to touch Hiei's forehead, he frowned. "Not that way," he told her quietly. She sighed, and he opened the Jagan.

Throwing her arms out to each side, Aurora began glowing with faint white light. The Jagan lit up fiercely, and Hiei's energy caused a slight breeze. It soon became clear that Hiei was seeing what they all had seen; gradually, his eyes widened. By the end, his mouth was slightly agape.

Finally, Aurora lowered her arms with a sigh. Yusuke could feel her energy waning; exhaustion was winning the war against her. "Rora," he murmured. "You should go get some sleep. We can handle planning the next move."

For a long moment, she looked as though she might adamantly refuse, but she finally nodded. "Wake me once you've decided." She swept silently from the room.

Kurama frowned, "What are your thoughts, Hiei? You're being remarkably quiet."

"Hn," was all he said as he made his way to his usual perch on the nearby windowsill. "For sometime lately the Jagan has been sensing some unusual and potentially dangerous energy. I don't doubt this is connected. Aurora's visions, while rather vague, make one thing perfectly clear. That Human Realm you two find so important is in danger... Again."

:-:-:-:-:

Kuwabara frowned, "So let me get this straight. My fourteen year old daughter had a vision where Urameshi died?"

Shizuru nodded.

"And you believe her?" he pressed.

She nodded again.

Kuwabara's frown deepened, "I don't like it. I'll be honest, I contacted Koenma a few weeks ago. My spirit sense has been picking up on some crazy energy. I thought he might want to know. Now I'm thinking we should call Urameshi and Kurama."

"I agree," his sister said quietly.

The man nodded. In the past few years, his age had become much more prominent. While his high Spirit Energy allowed the aging process to slow, he looked much older than he usually felt. Gray hair streaked through the orange, laugh lines etched around his mouth and his joints ached more than they ever had, even after a hard fight. He found, though, he didn't mind it. This was the life he wanted; a normal, peaceful life. And that included growing old. Urameshi could keep the greatly extended life-time.

"Well, I'll take care of it," he told Shizuru as he got to his feet. "I'll have Botan get a hold of them." He sighed, "Also, I think we should keep this as quiet as we can for now. You know how Keiko gets sometimes."

"Yes, I do know. I'll get Genkai from her room." With that, she turned from and stalked down the hall, a thousand thoughts racing through her head.

:-:-:-:-:

Kuwabara sighed as he pulled the white sedan up to the house. "Genkai," he said softly.

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Listen, I know your mom would probably want to know about the vision you had today, but let's just keep it quiet from her for now, okay?"

"Yeah. I know how mom gets about this stuff. Remember the night she punched Uncle Yusuke for talking about Demon stuff?" she laughed.

"Vividly," her father agreed. "I think he remembers it well, too." On one hot summer evening, Yusuke and Kurama had stopped by for one of their usual visits. That particular time, however, Yusuke had come to inform Kuwabara about some goings on in Demon World. Keiko had happened to come home in the middle of the discussion to find her children listening in on their talk. To put the events of that night lightly, she was not pleased.

"We'll have to tell her eventually, though, Dad," were Genkai's parting words as she exited her father's car.

He knew that far too well. Sighing, for what felt like the hundredth time that evening, he pulled out the small communication mirror from his jacket pocket. It was something he didn't use too often, but liked to keep close in case he did need it.

The screen quickly popped into life, and Botan's face appeared. It seemed she was expecting his call for some time now. "Hey, Botan. I was wondering if you'd be able to get a hold of Urameshi for me. The sooner, the better."

"I'm already on it," she replied, and the line went dead without so much as a 'goodbye'. Frowning, the man stepped from his car.

The walk that lined the driveway and led up to the front porch was dimly lit. The large, front bay windows of the living room cast a long orange glow over the front yard as Kuwabara made his way to the front door. It was as he was approaching the three steps of the porch that he felt it. A cold chill sliced its way up his spine. Not a minute later, he could hear his wife yelling. "Kuzuma! Quickly, in the house! You have to see this!"

Picking up his pace, he rushed into the living room where Keiko's eyes were glued to the television screen. The news reporter appeared to be having a field-day. "And as I said," the man in the expensive gray was stating, "beings from another world, at this time are being referred to as demons, have had free access to our world. Many governments, including the United States, Germany, Japan and several others, are planning a preemptive strike to get these heathens out of Earth for good."

"Did you hear that?" Keiko whispered. "Dear God..." she appeared to be extremely close to fainting. "We have to warn Yusuke."

Kuwabara moved to stand behind his wife and support her as they listened to the reporter continue. Several times, he repeated his words. Adding near the end, "It begs the question, however, what action these so called demons will take in response." The middle-aged couple watching in rapt silence couldn't agree more.

:-:-:-:-:

Kurama looked up from the plants he had been tending. "Do you sense that?" he asked his companions. The four of them, Hiei, Yusuke, Aurora and himself had moved out into Kurama's garden to continue their planning and discussing. "It feels like-"

"Botan?" Yusuke called out, a smile forming as he realized it was her. "Haven't seen you in... years. How've you been?"

Botan smiled weakly at him. "I've missed you," she told him. "I wish I was here just for a visit... Ningenkai is in trouble again..."

"Human World?"

"Yes. Kuwabara has contacted Koenma. He said his psychic awareness has been bothering him for weeks," Botan informed them, looking over the four now-somber faces.

Hiei looked meaningfully at Kurama, who stood beside him. This is what we've been sensing.

The ex-spirit detective looked only slightly surprised with this news. "Saving the world?" he asked softly. "Well, that is, after all, what I do best," he laughed. Glancing at Aurora, he frowned, "Will you come with us?"

Startled, shimmering golden eyes moved slowly to meet intense brown ones. For a moment, she did not respond. Indecision flickered over her expression, several mixed emotions fighting one another for dominance. Human World... Disgust lasted just a moment too long, and Yusuke was able to decipher it before it was quickly and skillfully hidden.

Disappointment seared through him though he tried his damnedest not to allow it to show on his face. He remembered Kurama telling him she'd never been there. He remembered how Hiei loathed to be there. Would she go simply because he asked her to?

"I..." she looked very uncomfortable. "I suppose." Sighing, she nodded, "Yusuke, where you go, I will undoubtedly follow."

Hiei eyed her and nodded in agreement. He, too, held a rather strong dislike of the Human Realm, and yet, he had no doubt in the world that he would be accompanying them, as well. He just hoped Mukuro would understand. Who knew? Perhaps she would come along. He nearly laughed aloud at that thought.

"Good," Botan murmured. "The plan as of right now is to meet up with Kuwabara at his-" She was cut off by a the communication mirror buzzing for the second time that night. She frowned deeply as Kuawabra's face appeared once again in it. "What it is, Kuwabara?"

"Get Urameshi, and quick." He looked on the verge of a breakdown. "This is much worse than we thought. Have a look at this." The mirror on his end was turned toward a television set. Botan moved closer to the others and turned hers as well so that they could all see what was being shown.

When the telecast was over, Kurama was the first to speak. "I'll admit, I did not see a move like that on the horizon. This is grave news, indeed."

Yusuke nodded slightly, still attempting to digest the information. "The sooner we leave, the better. I say we head out tonight."

A round of nods and murmured approval were his answer. Botan summoned her oar to depart, then, "Oh! I nearly forgot! Koenma wanted me to inform you to be sure you take on your human personae before you arrive in Human World."

Yusuke almost couldn't stop his eyes from rolling, "Obviously." He realized quickly, however, a problem. Turning, he looked at his mate. "What about you, Rora?"

She smirked. "I'll be fine."

Raising an eyebrow, Yusuke nodded. "Alright, well, Botan, where are we meeting?"

"Right! At the Kuwabaras' house. Quickly!" she added as she took off on her oar.

"So, how exactly are you going to pull off looking human?" Yusuke asked Aurora as they watched the blue-haired deity soar into the distance.

"Honestly, Yusuke, it is as if you forget what I am."

Furrowing his brows, he glanced at Kurama for some assistance. Who, in fact, was smirking more than his sister. The red-headed fox informed him, "We are kitsune, Yusuke. As such, we have many tricks up our sleeves"

"One of which happens to be some simple shape-shifting," Hiei finished, aware of the fact that the two siblings could be more vague than anyone he'd ever met.

Yusuke looked impressed. "Really?"

"Yes," she murmured. "Would you like a demonstration?"

He nodded.

"Very well." Concentrating, she closed her eyes. Slowly, her physical features began to change. It was simple things at first; her claws shortened, her skin took on a more natural hue. But then it was more drastic; the fox ears atop her head shrank and disappeared altogether, to be replaced by a human set on either side of her head, her tail vanished as well and her hair became a shade closer to brown. When she finally opened her eyes, Yusuke realized those had changed, too. No longer that hauntingly chilling gold, now a pair of steely pale green eyes gazed back at him. Her hair was not nearly as dark as even Keiko's, but was obviously more brown than silver. When she smiled gently, he realized her sharp canines were gone, as well. "How's that?" she asked quietly. Nearly unnoticeable, but Yusuke caught it, her voice had changed slightly as well.

"Impressive," her mate replied.

"Indeed," Hiei agreed, though his tone was unconvincing, at best. "Shall we get going?"

Another round of nods. Each moved quickly in their own directions to gather together a light pack of what they would need. In less than a half an hour, they met up again at the front doors of Yusuke's fortress. "Human World, here we come," Yusuke muttered, as they headed out together towards the portal.

The nearest Human World portal was one which was connected to the ground of the deceased Genkai's temple. Though it was a rather short distance in Demon World, it was a bit further once they reached Human World. However, they would be able to collect Yukina and bring her along, as well. There was a very real possibility that she, as a demon living in Ningenkai, was in danger. Yusuke, as much as he tried to conceal it, couldn't help the feeling of nostalgia that washed over him. Saving the World... It was just like old times.


	3. Chapter 3: Words to Choke Upon

Fighting to Live Again

_**Author's Note: This is a sequel to Learning to Live Again. Please read that story first, otherwise this story may not make much sense. :) Please let me know what you think about this by leaving your opinions through a review or a private message. I love reading what you all think. :) Pairings are: YusukexAurora(OC), KuwabaraxKeiko and HieixMukuro. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuYuHakusho, its universe or its characters. I only own my plot and my character, Aurora. I do not make any money off of this story. **_

_**Thanks and enjoy...**_

_Chapter Three: Words to Choke Upon_

Upon arriving into Human World via the portal, Yusuke was quite irritated to find it was pouring rain. He should have known; near the border the skies were heavily overcast. Grumbling his irritation under his breath, he lead the way through the thick foliage towards the familiar, old temple. As they moved, quickly but quietly closer, Hiei scanned over the surroundings. Jagan glowing gently beneath his head band, he found what he was looking for; his sister's energy signature.

Kurama nodded to their fiery companion. "Go ahead and get her. We'll meet you at Kuwabara's home. I trust you know the way," he hissed.

Hiei nodded and stalked forward, whispering, "Yukina knows the way, as well."

Yusuke, Kurama and Aurora headed towards their destination in relative silence. As they approached the side of town their friends' home resided, Yusuke glanced at his red-headed companion. "Do you think this situation is going to be responsible for those things Aurora saw?"

"I cannot say... However, I can say one thing for certain. If this realm decides to take action against the Makai, it will not end well. The demons would not take an attack lightly and would respond in kind."

The younger man frowned but nodded. It was something he already knew. However, hearing it from Kurama was still rather discouraging. Especially because the fox was _always_ right.

Weaving through the neighborhood, Yusuke did not miss the look of interest tracing Aurora's face. As much as she would vehemently deny it, this world irked and interested her. The fact that humans could survive and thrive without any demon energy or an extended lifetime was intriguing. It would truly be a shame if it was all wiped out. She turned her attention toward their destination. Though she didn't know the way, she could only assume it was the same location she could sense three fairly strong spiritual energy signatures.

"That's Kuwabara, his sister and his daughter that you're sensing," Kurama informed her softly.

"I thought you told me he was a remarkably gifted human in his fighting skills. His energy feels rather mediocre," she replied, expression serious.

Before Yusuke could retort, Kurana explained calmly, "That was twenty years ago. He has resigned himself from the life of fighting some time ago."

She nodded, "I see."

That, albeit short, conversation bothered Yusuke in a way he couldn't quite describe. He knew Kuwabara had given up fighting and usually didn't even train anymore, but to hear it spoken out loud made it... real. Slowly, feelings of doubt and concern crept their way into the forefront of Yusuke's mind. Was this such a good idea? Would Kuwabara even fight beside them this time? Why involve Kuwabara in this if he wouldn't even be of any help? Mentally cursing himself, Yusuke found they had reached their destination.

The front porch of the Kuwabaras' home was nice. It was in a decent part of town, where all the houses looked remarkably similar. The front lawns, though they were currently turning brown as winter approached, were all neatly clipped and trimmed, as fancy neighborhoods usually were. The paint was conservative and well-maintained. The car parked in front of the closed garage door was one to be expected of an upper middle class family; a white, marginally expensive sedan. If Yusuke would have been told way back when that this is what Kuwabara's house would look like twenty years later, he would have laughed. A prick of remorse stabbed through his heart as, once again, he realized just how very different worlds they both lived in now.

Just before Kurama rang the doorbell, Yusuke's listless eyes fell upon the front bay windows. Inside, he could see Keiko and their two children. He could see the life Kuwabara had now. The life the toushin himself, could have had. Some emotion he absolutely could not understand swept through him. Keiko bent down slightly and kissed their younger daughter atop her head. Smiling, she murmured words Yusuke couldn't quite hear, and the children ran up the stairs. For one single moment, Yusuke nearly turned and walked away. Shocked at these feelings swarming in his mind, he steeled his resolve and rang the bell just before Kurama's own finger reached it.

In his haste, he missed the complex look the twins behind him shared. Apparently, his turbulent emotions hadn't gone unnoticed. Silently vowing to keep silent until a more appropriate time came, the two siblings followed their leader into the house after Kuwabara had opened the door.

The older-looking man smiled gently as he laid eyes upon his old friends. Though they did come frequently for visits, it seemed that the more years went by, the fewer and further between these visits became. At the moment, Kuwabara was trying to recall when exactly the last one was. Two years? Three? Four?

"Urameshi!" he cried, pulling the young demon lord into a hug.

"Yeah, hey, Kuwabara," Yusuke reciprocated and slapped the other's back. "Been too long," he laughed. Though neither Kurama, Aurora, nor Kuwabara missed the forced nature of it.

"Come in, come in," he ushered, taking special note to watch Urameshi like a hawk tonight; something was up with him. "You guys are soaked," he noted, grabbing a few towels and handing them out before leading them into a back room. As they moved further into the house, a darker, more private part of the house, Kuwabara laid eyes on Aurora. "Ah," he smiled warmly, "Is this the Mrs., Urameshi?"

Yusuke laughed again, this time it was less forced but it nowhere near reached his chocolate irises. "Something like that."

She eyed the elder-looking human carefully, but politely extended her right hand. "Aurora," she murmured.

"Pleasure," Kuwabara replied as he gripped her slender hand in his much larger one. "Any friend of Urameshi's is a friend of mine."

"It's good to finally meet you," were her idle words as she lightly pulled her hand free. It was quite clear, dispute his warm words, he held no delusions of friendship whatsoever. She hardly cared; it wasn't as if the gesture was going to be reciprocated on her end either.

Kurama watched in rapt silence as a million unspoken words passed over his sister's thought process. It was immediately clear she would steering away from Kuwabara. It wasn't much of a surprise. The human man was an interesting one. The only real reason he ever really befriended Hiei was the similar honor code their shared. Since neither Kurama nor Aurora held such a code, Kuwabara was quick to judge. Not unlike the rest of his world, he generally distrusted any demon in which his path crossed. Kurama wondered, not for the first time, why Kuwabara had befriended _him_.

Yusuke remained rather unaware of the mutual distrust occurring between his mate and his one-time best friend. Instead, his concentration was mostly focused on trying to locate Keiko inside the house. She was coming toward them.

In a matter of moments, "Hello, everyone," came her familiar voice. She was followed closely by the elder Kuwabara sibling, Shizuru.

Kurama nodded and smiled slightly, Yusuke muttered a greeting and Aurora forced a bit more life into her false smile. Keiko's eyes roamed over each face, lingering just slightly too long on Yusuke's, then falling to rest on Aurora's. The smile fell from her face, despite her best efforts, as she asked, "I don't think we've met?"

"No," Aurora agreed.

"I'm Keiko, Kuwabara's wife. And this is Shizuru, his sister."

She nodded, extending her hand once again, replying, "I am Aurora," she paused, glancing toward Yusuke, "Yusuke's mate."

"Mate?" The lack of a smile on Keiko's face had become a frown.

"Yes," Kurama stepped in. "The mating ritual of Demon World is quite similar to Human World's marriage."

That was it. Keiko's eyes turned from light and gentle to dark and jaded. It didn't take long for her to excuse herself from the room and pull Shizuru with her. Kurama was forcefully reminded why he never truly did care for Yusuke's ex-girlfriend. It became blatantly clear to the fox that there was quite a bit of both unresolved animosity and inherent prejudice between several of them. Though he wished he could avoid becoming involved, he doubted it would be so simple.

"How are the children?" Kurama asked Kuwabara as they all made themselves comfortable on the spacious back room couches.

"They're great," he replied. "Genkai is going into high school, and Kei is excelling in grade school."

A round of nods. While they waited for Hiei and Yukina, the conversation fell into the mundane, as each were rather lost in other thoughts. It would be pointless to begin planning anything without Hiei. Botan arrived with Koenma shortly behind her, not too long after the three of them had arrived. After an hour and a half had passed, Kurama began to grow concerned about Hiei. _Where is he?_ The link between them was silent, even after Kurama called the fire apparition's name a few times.

"Yusuke," he finally hissed. "I worry something may have befallen them. There is no reason it should be taking so long."

The other nodded, "I was thinking the same thing. Should we backtrack and see if we can find them?"

Kurama shook his head, "Not yet. But I believe it may be necessary if they do not arrive soon."

Another nod. Yusuke closed his eyes as he, too, tried their link. Nothing, not even static. It was strange. However, Yusuke remembered their link never worked well when they were in different worlds. Maybe he was in Demon World?

:-:-:-:-:

Hiei cursed softly, pulling Yukina's wrist as he flitted through the dense undergrowth of the Makai forest. "I believe we've lost them," she whispered to him.

He immediately slowed. "I'm sorry," he replied quietly. "I wanted to make sure."

"I know, Mr. Hiei." She looked rather sad. "How are we going to meet up with the others now?"

The Jaganshi signed, "I'll need to try to get in contact with them."

As Hiei moved them to a more sheltered location, sat down and opened the Jagan, Yukina thought back over the events of that night.

Right on time, she had heard a knock and felt Hiei's energy outside. As she moves to let him in, she left his friend's leave. She already knew the gravity of their situation and agreed that separating the party was the best choice. She enjoyed Hiei's company best, anyhow. As she let him in, it became apparent he felt something amiss. His eyes were slitted and the Jagan glowed faintly beneath its covering. "Everything alright, Mr. Hiei?" she had asked.

"We are not alone. Gather your necessities and follow me. Quickly," was his hissed response. She did as she was told and they set off, making quiet haste through the temple's grounds.

"What's going on?" she finally had the courage to ask.

"I believe someone was aware of the fact you are not human. I further believe they meant to harm you." That concerned her, but she was thankful that he didn't lie to her.

Shortly after he had said those words, an explosion could be heard. Despite herself, her legs ceased their forward movement. "The temple!" she cried out, horrified.

"Yukina! Come on; we cannot stop!" Hiei nearly panicked as he realized she might bolt back to try and protect the temple which had been her home for years. His fears were in vain as she, with some reluctance, continued following his lead.

There was no doubt about any of it anymore, Hiei knew. The humans were going to fight the demons.

:-:-:-:-:

Yusuke hissed in discomfort as an assault on his mind registered. Lifting a hand to his forehead, he muttered, "What the..." A fierce headache was forming behind his eyes. _Detective._

"Yusuke?" Someone asked him, concerned.

"Hold... on..." _Detecti- _The message was choppy, almost garbled, but Yusuke was able to make out some of it. _Got Yuki_..._Ambushed... Kai's Temple... Destroyed... Do not... Demo... Rld... Get somewhere... Where safe. I'll... Again soon. _Yusuke could barely breath by the time the last word passed through his mind. There was no doubt that Hiei was in Demon World; their link never caused Yusuke pain like that unless they were separated by a great distance. It had only happened once before.

He opened his eyes, intent on relaying this information and found himself laying on the floor. "Geez, Urameshi! What's wrong with you?"

"It's Hiei," he gasped out. His head was killing him. "He's in Demon World. I couldn't hear much of his message, but..."

"What did you make out from it?" Kurama asked.

When Yusuke finished repeating all that he had heard, Kurama watched him carefully. It was a look Yusuke had come to know as 'thinking _extremely _hard'. "We need to get somewhere safer than this," the fox said at last.

All eyes turned to the red-head. "What do you suggest?"

Kurama shrugged. "Anywhere not so blatantly obvious..." he whispered. He jerked his head up and got to feet, signaling that they should do the same.

Carefully, they gathered Keiko, Shizuru and the children and exited through the rear of the house. Botan and Koenma made a hasty though quiet departure, promising to contact them in a few days. Though it made for a rather uncomfortable journey, the continuing downpour of rain helped to mask their movements and to throw off any who might have been following them. Mouthing commands, Kurama lead the group quickly away from the house and out of the neighborhood. Silently, he hoped he was wrong, but he highly doubted whatever happened to Hiei was a mistake or a coincidence. Someone knew who they were and were taking a preemptive strike against them.

:-:-:-:-:

Hiei closed the Jagan, weariness already taking root inside him. He believed he had managed to reach Yusuke. He had tried to make the message short and concise while relaying as much information as possible. He had tried to say; _I've got Yukina safely. We were ambushed at Genkai's Temple. It's been destroyed. Do not go back there. She and I are in Demon World now. Get somewhere safe. Get the others and you and the fox go somewhere safe. I'll contact you again soon. _He wasn't sure what the ex-detective actually received. He could only hope it was enough, and that between him and the others, they would be able to make a plan accordingly. Still slightly shaken from the recent events, he turned back to his sister. "Come, Yukina. We'll have to regroup at Mukuro's fortress. It isn't much further."

She nodded and followed him. Now that they were out of immediate harm's way, all they could do is hope the others were, too.

:-:-:-:-:

Kurama lead the group in silence. He was headed toward a shadier part of town; toward a cheap hotel. Somewhere they wouldn't be noticed nearly so easy as in suburbia. Kwuabara was walking near him, asking hushed questions that the red-head mostly ignored. He didn't remember the human ever being so... _human_. His fears, concerns, complaints, were something Kurama was not accustomed to. Kurama smirked humorlessly in spite of himself and their situation. _Kuwabara has gone soft. _

Yusuke fell into step between his now and his then. Aurora on his left, Keiko on his right. Something he had not experienced in so very many years was washing over him. Something he couldn't understand. Something so profound, he found it difficult to focus on the task at hand. He knew in his heart and in his mind he truly didn't love Keiko. However, the thoughts didn't cease. It could have been him with that house, with that car, with those kids, with _her._

Aurora could feel the tension between many parties of this group, herself falling directly in the middle of it all. This was one valid reason she did not associate with humans. They were petty, naïve, ignorant fools. The woman seemed to be the worst. At least the man, Kuwabara, had some reason to distrust demons. The only stem for Keiko's hatred of her was the fact she had Yusuke and Keiko no longer did. This was something rarely found in Demon World. Sure, mates were stolen from others, but the pretty drama was not there. If a demon was not strong enough to protect and keep their mate, then they didn't deserve them. Sighing internally, she considered their situation and how this would all play out. If Yusuke and her brother weren't so attached to this damn Ningenkai, they could all go back to the Makai and fight for the side that would actually win. Still, regardless of their next moves, those visions she had had, and the new one she could feel coming, set her on edge. Something immense was about to happen, she could feel it.

Finally, after what everyone was sure was hours, or maybe days, they reached a part of town Kurama was satisfied with. They would be much better hidden here. He found a poorly lit, grimy hotel and booked two rooms. The Kuwabaras would have one; himself, Yusuke and Aurora, the other. Few words were exchanged as they split and went their separate ways, Keiko and the children complaining exhaustion, Kurama, Yusuke and Aurora desiring silence in which to think, talk and plan. Without Hiei, they were no doubt currently at a disadvantage, but they would have to overcome it. Hiei could take care of himself and his sister, now they had to take care of themselves and the others.

Once they reached their room, Kurama locked the door and manipulated the plant on the windowsill beside the door to act as a guard. He moved through the door adjoining the two rooms and did the same to the Kuwabaras' room. They would be fine for a night or two, besides, no one felt anyone following them. Perhaps whoever attacked Hiei and Yukina were not aware of the others just yet. Kurama sat heavily in the chair beside the bed, and near Aurora. Yusuke had excused himself to the bathroom to shower off the rain.

"He is more uncertain than I have ever seen him, brother," she whispered, mindful of the thin walls and listening ears.

"I know," was the equally hushed reply. "I do not understand it, myself."

"I do not believe he loves her. I feel it is much more the situation he longs for. Normality outside of Demon World. If I was a more prideful creature, I believe he would be without a mate just now." A small smirk highlighted her words. "However, I am unsure what action to take."

Kurama watched her. "He will sort this through himself."

She nodded and turned her thoughts away. "What about this?" she gestured around the room. "Surely, we cannot hide away in this dank hole forever."

"Of course not. However, at the moment, I am unsure of where else we should go. I need to speak to my human mother and brother tomorrow."

Another nod. "I believe we may have been overly cautious tonight. We had no followers. Perhaps no one was after us, at all. Regardless, we need to stay somewhere a bit less... obvious than the humans' home."

"Agreed. Perhaps I will have to pull some strings."

She eyed him thoughtfully. "Oh?"

"Koenma."

"Of course." She sighed, thoughtful. "Perhaps we would be best to simply return to the Makai."

Kurama chuckled softly, "Remember who your brother and mate are."

Her eyes were suddenly sharp, and it nothing to do with their conversation. "Where's Yusuke?" came a soft question from the adjoining doors. It was Keiko, dressed in a nightgown.

"In the shower," Kurama replied, somewhat stiffly. "What is the matter, Keiko?"

She blushed a bit. "Just wanted to make sure he was alright. Today, he looked a bit..." she peered meaningfully at Aurora as she finished, "unsatisfied."

"He's fine," Kurama snapped. "Perhaps you should bid us goodnight."

Keiko nodded, called "Goodnight," in her best singsong voice and disappeared through the door she had come from, closing the door with a snap.

Something vile squirmed its way into Aurora's eyes and expression. "I dislike that human," she hissed to Kurama. Her brother nodded as the two moved towards their beds. He was certain more was to come of Keiko's jealousy. He hated this whole damn situation.

:-:-:-:-:

Yusuke turned on the shower water and rested his head against the ugly tile wall. Confusion, irritation, jealousy and self-doubt raged through him. Resisting the urge to scream, he allowed a tear to slip down his cheek. It wasn't ever supposed to be this way. He was happy. He never needed any of those things before. He had never really even thought about having children before. But now... Suddenly, he heard Keiko's voice. He carefully turned the water lower, pressing his ear harder against the wall.

"-Yusuke?" That was Keiko.

"In the shower. What is the matter, Keiko?" That was Kurama.

"Just wanted to make sure he was alright. Today, he looked a bit," a pause, "unsatisfied."

Yusuke heard Keiko call, "Goodnight," to them and close the door. He swore under his breath. Keiko could be a real bitch when she wanted to. He sighed, turning the water back up and enjoying the steam, trying with minimal success to forget the day's events.

After quite some time, and the hot water wanning, he jumped when the door opened. "Hey," he called, "Still in here."

"I know," came a soft, silky voice. "Can I join you?"

_**A/N: What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them, especially regarding the drama between several members of the group. Who do you think Yusuke was talking to in the bathroom there at the end?**_

_**Sorry, the updates have been a bit few and far between. I have been working six days a week, which greatly cut into my writing time, but I promise I will not abandon this story. I hope you all enjoy! Until the next update...**_


	4. Chapter 4: Of the Cardinal Sins

Fighting to Live Again

_**Author's Note: This is a sequel to Learning to Live Again. Please read that story first, otherwise this story may not make much sense. :) Please let me know what you think about this by leaving your opinions through a review or a private message. I love reading what you all think. :) Pairings are: YusukexAurora(OC), KuwabaraxKeiko and HieixMukuro. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuYuHakusho, its universe or its characters. I only own my plot and my character, Aurora. I do not make any money off of this story. **_

_**Thanks and enjoy...**_

_Chapter Four: Of the Cardinal Sins_

"I know. Can I join you?"

Even though Yusuke had not been in such an excellent mental place just then, hearing Aurora murmur those words that way, still managed to stir his arousal. He smirked as he pulled back the curtain slightly. "Of course, my fox."

She gave him a dazzling smile. If that bitch wanted something to be envious over... well, she'd _give _her something. Stepping into the now lukewarm stream of water beside her mate, Aurora sighed. "Come here," she whispered. She pulled him into an embrace. Through her human guise acted as a buffer for her icy nature, the water temperature still dropped a few degrees as it danced over her skin. "I sense doubt in you, my love." She looked into his eyes as she allowed her hands to roam lower on his body. "So I am going to ease those doubts."

Yusuke, despite his succumbing completely to her touch, whimpered, "But the others..."

"Let them hear," she hissed into his ear. Though he could not see it, her smile was genuinely a vulpine one.

Yusuke swallowed with some force, "I'm warning you... If you keep this up, I won't be able to control myself."

She smiled. "So let go, toushin," she challenged slyly.

And he did.

:-:-:-:-:

Kurama sighed and smirked against his pillow. '_Not a prideful creature', my ass_, he thought, recalling Aurora's earlier words. The sounds of the couple doing obvious things in the shower could easily be heard throughout the hotel room. The red-headed fox also did not doubt for a moment that that wasn't the point. In fact, as he knew quite well, kitsune were proud by nature. When one insulted a fox, there was a hefty price to pay. Keiko would learn that the difficult way, it seemed.

:-:-:-:-:

The fortress of Alaric looked as it always had; huge, sprawling and menacing. To Hiei, it was home. Yukina could sense the change in her brother's demeanor the closer they got. She had been to this city a handful of times after she had learned her brother's identity. She had met Mukuro, and was pleasantly surprised to find she wasn't nearly as intimidating as she at first appeared.

Yukina was nothing but happy for her brother. She was glad he had found someone to love who loved him back. She was awed by Mukuro's power, impressed with her loyalty and pleased of her adoration of Hiei. She knew that they would be safe resting here. Mukuro would see to that. From there, Yukina and Hiei would make their way back to their friends.

Mukuro was surprised, to say the least, when Hiei threw the fortress doors open. Though she hadn't been expecting him, she was unsettled by the fact she hadn't sensed his approach. And by the fact she could barely feel his energy now. "What has happened?" she demanded, now noticing Yukina as well.

"We were attacked. Or more precisely, the temple was. We were unharmed, however we were forced to retreat here. There were too many to risk my sister's safety."

Yukina blushed slightly and looked down. Mukuro's frown and glare increased. "This is quite unsettling."

"Indeed."

"Where are the others?" she questioned, taking note of the distinct lack of the demon king and white foxes.

"We separated prior to the attack. They are in the Ningenkai. I have tried to contact them, but the Jagan has some difficulty with speaking through worlds."

She nodded. "I'll send someone."

Hiei shook his head. "It isn't necessary. Yukina and I merely need some rest and food before we return there. We shall meet up with them by tomorrow evening."

"Very well," Mukuro consented. "Why could I not sense your approach?"

"I utilized the Jagan to mask my energy. I needed to be sure we weren't followed. Unfortunately, masking it blocks it from everyone, even you."

"I see," she said. "Go then and sleep. I'll have food prepared and brought to your rooms."

"Thank you," Yukina whispered as Hiei lead her to their rooms.

:-:-:-:-:

The following morning, Yusuke woke up to the soft sound of Aurora and Kurama conversing in low voices. "Well, if we plan to stay here in Ningenkai, we'll need supplies," Kurama was saying.

"Yes. Clothing," Aurora agreed, her expression stating clearly how she felt about wearing human clothes, "Food, transportation and lastly, information."

"I suggest you and I go, gather the necessities and return back here. The two of us will be able to move quicker and stealthier than if they all join us."

Aurora nodded. "What of Yusuke?"

"He may do as he wishes. He would not slow us down, nor would it effect our performance should he stay here," Kurama replied.

"I'll speak to him shortly."

Yusuke considered his options in silence, allowing the foxes to believe him to still be asleep for a little longer. It didn't take long for him to decide that the day's prospects if he went with them weren't exactly to his liking. First off, shopping, probably quite a bit of shopping if he knew Kurama. And he did. He _hated_ shopping. Then, there came the whole object of payment. Yusuke was fairly sure the two foxes were going to use less than legal ways to obtain at least the car, if not everything they needed. Kurama's taste in worldly possessions tended to be slightly out of his price range, though Yusuke typically adopted a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy when it came to how he actually got his hands on things.

Finally, Yusuke decided that he would not accompany them. It was a pity really that they weren't still in the Makai. As a Demon King, there was little Yusuke couldn't afford. However, demon gold meant nothing here in Ningenkai, unless you found a demon drug dealer, selling on the streets, which wasn't uncommon so long you knew where to look. They didn't need drugs, though. Yusuke groaned as he got his feet, stretching in a very cat-like manner.

"Ah," Kurama murmured, turning, "The King has finally risen."

"Ha ha, fox-boy. Really hilarious," Yusuke snapped with no real heat. He donned his infamous lazy smirk as he looked at the two.

"I told you he was only feigning sleep," Aurora remarked offhandedly.

Each of them were dressed in the most human-like apparel that the Makai offered, a rather expensive silk fighting garb, consisting of a long shirt and loose pants. There was a sash of a lighter, accenting color around the middle. Kurama's was a brilliant emerald, unsurprisingly, not unlike his eyes; Aurora's was a deep red, a few shades darker than her brother's hair; and Yusuke's was a dark navy, reminiscent of the night sky. Yusuke had grumbled, feigning insult when Kurama ordered green._ "That's my color!"_ he'd exclaimed. _"I look better in green..._" Kurama had smirked in that mischievous way of his and simply shrugged.

Though these clothes were passable here, they needed much less attention-drawing attire. Especially if someone actually was after them. It would be best not to alert every demon around that they were here. It was rather difficult to hide from a demon wearing Makai's finest silk.

Yusuke stated after a long yawn, "I think I'm gonna sit this little 'adventure' out. You know, let the two thrives handle it." He laughed when Kurama pretended to be insulted.

"Thief!" he exclaimed. "Never."

Aurora smiled, "Yusuke is simply intimated by our skill, brother."

"Ah, of course," Kurama chuckled.

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm going back to bed."

"Such an overachiever," one fox commented as the two exited the hotel and closed the door behind them.

:-:-:-:-:

Yusuke awoke once again an hour or two later to the sound of the kids in the next room complaining loudly about breakfast. Chuckling because it wasn't his problem, Yusuke rolled off the bed. Yawning, he moved around the corner to brush his teeth and wash his face.

As the fox siblings had departed, and Kuwabara and Shizuru left to walk the girls down the street a way to get breakfast, Keiko saw her opening. Seeing off her husband and sister-in-law, she waited a minute and slipped as silently as she could into the adjoined room.

Yusuke stood before the bathroom sink and mirror. Splashing water on his face, he didn't notice Keiko come around the corner. Before he could stop her, she wrapped her arms around his waist. Yusuke froze, knowing well that it was not his mate standing behind him. "Wh-what are you...?"

She smiled and pressed her front against his back. "You know," she whispered in her silkiest voice. "You could take me right here."

"Keiko... Get... Get away from me."

She leaned in closer to him, delicately slicking his ear with her tongue. "There was a time when you would do anything I asked."

"That was then," he whispered, but his hitched breath betrayed him. As did the swell in his jeans.

"Oh," she moaned, encouraging the bulge below his waist with her hand, "Please? For old times?"

"N-no... Leave." But his tone wasn't nearly as forceful as he meant it to be. She knew she had struck the right cord; their past. It was something Yusuke still hadn't let go of, something she could exploit.

Slowly, with a knowing smile, she unhooked his belt, then his jeans. "Hush; I'll make it worth your while."

:-:-:-:-:

Aurora actually stumbled. Kurama's breath caught as he steadied her. "What happened?" he whispered.

"It's... the... It's Yusuke," her eyes were closed, brow furrowed in concentration. The link two mated demons shared was something of a cousin to the one Hiei could initiate with his Jagan. The most distinct difference was that a mate's link only shared feelings, emotions; not memories. After a moment, her eyes snapped open. "He's blocking me out..."

"What?" Kurama snapped. "Why?"

She eyed him sharply, "Don't you think if I _knew_ why, I would have informed you already?" But a small piece of her did know why. "But that feeling..."

"What?" he whispered, stepping closer.

"He... he's not doing it intentionally." Meaning Yusuke was doing something private, something... he typically never did if she wasn't there.

He caught her drift. The pleasure center of the brain had a strange effect on a link like theirs. If the pleasure was mutual, the link was strengthened; if it was one-sided, it was significantly weakened. "I hope he's alone," he breathed into the wind.

"He is," despite her firm words, she sounded rather uncertain.

"Yes, of course he is," Kurama amended swiftly.

Aurora frowned. "I'm afraid we'll have to concern ourselves with this matter at a later date. It would appear we have company."

Turning, Kurama laid eyes on two rather poorly disguised demons. Though they were nothing more than weaklings, another demon, obviously their leader, lurked behind them a short distance in the shadows. His power, Kurama judged, was actually rather strong; an A-class, at least. Also a potential problem.

"Can we help you, gentlemen?" Kurama asked sharply.

"Yesssss," came the hissed reply from the shadows. It seemed their leader was a snake demon. "We were jussst admiring that sssilk."

Aurora sneered at them. "I suggest you leave before," she commanded the frigid air to pick up, "you cause more trouble than you can handle."

"A thousssand pardonsss, my lady. We merely wissshed to make a deal."

"You have less than one minute to speak it," Kurama growled. "Better hurry."

"In exchange for thossse sssassshesss* you both wear, I'll let you in on a little sssecret." He stepped from the shadows slightly, his tongue darting out now and then as he spoke. "I know why you've come here. I know about the war. And if you give that lovely sssilk to me, I'll tell you what I know."

"Speak first."

"And _we _shall decide if it is a fair trade."

"Otherwise," Kurama bared his canines in a vicious grin. "We'll slice out that filthy tongue of yours."

"Then strangle you with it."

The snake hissed in displeasure, but began speaking. "Very well. All isss not asss you believe. The humansss have been fed sssome misssleading information. There isss a demon behind the information leak. There will be a war, that hasss already been guaranteed. Focusss not on attempting to ssstop it. Damage control isss your only viable option, at thisss point." He slithered back into the shadows once again. "Oh, and by the way... They already know you're here, ssso don't bother hiding. They aren't concerned with you."

Aurora slipped off her sash and threw it to one of the henchmen. "You've earned one, now get out of my sight before I change my mind and kill you anyway."

They were gone quickly. Kurama and Aurora did not linger either. "We would do best to hurry."

"Indeed."

Quickly, they made their way through town. It took a little longer to find a car to Kurama's liking than he thought it would, and eventually, he had to settle. Setting his vines to work unlocking the doors and turning over the engine of a particularly expensive Mercedes, he looked at his sister. He noted with a frown that this situation and whatever was going on with Yusuke was not what they needed right now. He pulled her into an comforting embrace. "I know it is difficult, but we must focus on this task right now."

She nodded, "I know. I apologize. Let's go shopping." Without another word, they slipped into the front seat of their new car.

:-:-:-:-:

"You need to be nicer to Yusuke's wife."

Kuwabara glared at his elder sister. "She's a demon, sis."

"I know that," she snapped, smacking the top his head. "And obviously not a bad one. Do you really doubt Yusuke's judgment on character that much?"

He shifted uncomfortably, "Can we not have this conversation right now?" He looked meaningfully at the two girls walking a bit ahead of them.

Shizuru wasn't perturbed. "They aren't listening," she dismissed. "Why don't you like her?"

"She's a demon _thief_!" he exclaimed, as though it should have been obvious.

Shizuru laughed humorlessly. "Is that so?" She gave him a sharp, meaningful look. "And Kurama is...?"

Kuwabara swallowed. "That's different," he muttered.

Shizuru smacked him again. "Just do it for Yusuke, okay? It would mean a lot to him." There was a long pause before she added, "Besides, if it weren't for him not judging your choices of a wife, I wouldn't have my two favorite nieces."

Kuwabara winced. Keiko. Yusuke never said one thing about him marring Keiko. Yusuke never treated either of them with anything but friendly respect. He owed it to Yusuke to at least be nice to Aurora.

:-:-:-:-:

"Oh, Yusuke," Keiko moaned, tugging his pants further down. "I've missed you." She lowered herself to her knees of front of him, careful to keep his attention on only her ever-moving hands.

Yusuke, for his part, remained absolutely still. He hardly breathed, lost somewhere between memories and sensations. He forgot where he was, what he was doing, who he was with. All he could see was Keiko when she was _his _Keiko, touching him, whispering to him, kissing him, loving him. The tiny voice is the back of his mind demanding that he stop this at once was pointedly blocked out.

Keiko slipped his erection into her hand and breathed, "Don't worry. She will never have to know."

_*: That word is 'sashes', I realize with his over-pronunciation of the letter 's' that that word was a little difficult to discern. If it helps, there are always 2 additional s's. Example: 'is' would be 'isss'._

_**A/N: Whoa! What is Keiko doing? ! Anyway, can you name which of the Seven Deadly Sins this chapter was named after and why? (Hint: There are three in particular.) Hope you enjoyed it. As always, let me know. Until the next update.**_


	5. Chapter 5: To Dance with the Devil

Fighting to Live Again

_**Author's Note: This is a sequel to Learning to Live Again. Please read that story first, otherwise this story may not make much sense. :) Please let me know what you think about this by leaving your opinions through a review or a private message. I love reading what you all think. :) Pairings are: YusukexAurora(OC), KuwabaraxKeiko and HieixMukuro. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuYuHakusho, its universe or its characters. I only own my plot and my character, Aurora. I do not make any money off of this story. **_

_**Thanks and enjoy...**_

_Chapter Five: To Dance with the Devil_

Aurora glanced around the clothing store. While she tended to loathe anything human, she wasn't as ignorant of it as many believed her to be. Quickly, though paying attention to size and color coordination, she chose several outfits for the demons of their group. As Kurama dazzled the young, ditsy sales associate with his flirtatious charm, effectively distracting her, Aurora left the store with the clothing in hand.

Once they made it back to the parking lot together, Aurora smirked, eyes on the car Kurama had chosen. "I understand you have expensive taste, but how in Shiva's name are we going to fit ten people in that Mercedes?"

He chuckled, "We aren't. We're going to get your car here."

She nodded, "Very well. I'll leave the final choice as to which car up to you then."

Kurama grinned. _Excellent._ His sharp green eyes scanned carefully, finally landing on a dark silver Toyota Hilux pickup truck. "How's that?"

She gave a one-shouldered shrug and followed him. Setting his vines to work quickly once more, he took the bags from her and dropped them into the bed of the truck. "I trust you can drive a standard?"

She rolled her eyes. "As if human transportation technology is complicated. Yes, I am able to drive one."

"Excellent. Next we need information, but I believe we should move the others to more secure location." Suddenly, his green eyes narrowed and his head snapped to the side so he could look over his shoulder. "Get in the car, Aurora. Now."

:-:-:-:-:

"She will never have to know," she whispered as her fingers closed around him and her lips pressed against his. Between those words and the unfamiliar taste of someone else, Yusuke remembered something extremely important.

"Aurora..." and the trance was broken. "Get the fuck off me, Keiko!"

"But-but Yusuke!"

"Get out of my sight," he snarled through clenched teeth, "before I lose the rest of my self-control."

She didn't need telling twice. She ran to the door between the two rooms and slammed it closed behind her. Sliding down the panel door as weakness consumed her, she wept uncontrollably. For a long time, she remained there, wondering why on earth she would have pulled that with Yusuke. Why she had allowed petty jealousy to cloud her judgment. Why she would risk the life she had made for herself with a man she loved. For the life of her, she couldn't find a decently reasonable conclusion. Other than that, maybe, just maybe, she still loved Yusuke. And perhaps, she always would.

:-:-:-:-:

Yusuke slammed his fist into the wall, fighting back hot, burning tears of rage. _How dare she? How dare I? What the fuck is wrong with me?_ Of all the emotions that crossed his mind, guilt was the hardest to swallow. He knew, beyond all reasonable doubt, that Aurora would already know something had happened. Their link would have assured that. What he didn't yet know is how badly he ruined everything. For an excruciatingly long amount of time, all he could see was the hatred and betrayal igniting in Aurora's beautiful eyes when she learned what had happened. The only thing worse than her anger, he knew, would be her hurt. He could withstand her fury; he doubted very much he could bare her devastation.

Slowly, he moved back to his bed. Burying his head in the pillow, he allowed the tears to come forth. Hours passed before he became aware of another presence outside the room. "Yusuke! Get out here!" He could sense by the tone of her voice that she was extremely upset. Dread turned his limbs to lead as he dragged himself to his feet.

:-:-:-:-:

Kurama's eyes flashed as he repeated, "Get in the car."

Slowly, she turned and did as he instructed. The vines started the car for her. Before she shut the door, Kurama hissed, "Get back to the others. Do not look back."

"I'm not leaving y-"

"Yes, you are. Time is of the essence. Take them to the safest bomb shelter you can find nearby. Do not obey any speed limit signs. I cannot stress enough how little time we may have." He turned to look at her one last time. "Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Without another word, she threw the truck into first gear and floored the gas, squealing the tires.

She accelerated as quickly as the gas pedal allowed, and soon the needle of the speedometer was pressed firmly on the opposite side of zero. After only a few minutes, she felt it. It was minor, meaning it was a good distance away. She immediately realized what this meant. The war was already beginning.

She slammed on the brakes as she entered the hotel's small parking lot. Fortunately, it was mostly empty. Not bothering to turn off the engine or close the driver's side door, she sprinted to their room. Banging on the door, she yelled, "Yusuke! Get out here!"

It only took a moment for the toushin to open the door. She, for the moment, ignored the definite guilt etched on his face. "Get in the truck," she told him firmly. "Where are the humans?"

"Listen, Rora, please don't do this."

She gave him a sharp look. "This has nothing to do with what you did or did not do with that ningin woman. Now go get the humans, and get in the truck."

Nodding, he turned and banged on the adjoining door. Fortunately, Kuwabara, Shizuru and the girls had already returned. "Hey! Guys! Get out here!"

In rapt silence, they filed into the vehicle. It was a bit cramped, but that hardly mattered at that point. Aurora jammed the car back into gear and stomped on the pedal. Keiko remained absolutely silent, still unsure what exactly was going on.

"You feel that?" Kuwabara hissed from the back seat.

No verbal reply came, but the answer was obvious. The explosions were shaking the whole city. Pressing the pedal more firmly to the floorboard, Aurora frowned. "Should have taken the damn Mercedes."

In spite of absolutely everything, Yusuke cracked a slight grin. _A Mercedes? Typical Kurama._

Finally, they found what they were looking for. An old abandoned warehouse with steel and concrete walls. "Listen carefully," Aurora murmured. "Get inside, find a bathroom. Typically, they will have a sign reading storm shelter. That's the best option we have right now. Get down as low as you can on the floor and stay there."

They piled out of the car and made their way to an entrance. Aurora stepped lightly from the car and watched the humans successfully ram the door open. "You, too, toushin," she hissed.

"Not without you."

"Do not give me another reason to doubt you." He visibly winced. "Go inside."

As he walked, he turned slightly, asking quietly, "What are you going to do?"

"Find that damn fox."

:-:-:-:-:-:

Though it somewhat injured the fox's pride, he left the Mercedes abandoned in the parking lot. Since he had no passengers and could move quicker by taking shortcuts through areas unaccessible to a car, he had no legitimate reason to take it. Signing and focusing every ounce of concentration he contained, he threw out his senses to find Hiei.

For a while, he ran almost aimlessly with no luck. Then- "Hiei!" He nearly ran right into him.

"Fox? What is it?"

"I've been searching for you! Why couldn't I sense you?"

"I used the Jagan to hide our location. Where are the others?"

A nearby explosion prevented Kurama from answering immediately. Motioning for them to follow, the red-head refocused his energy to locate Aurora. Who, he now realized, was looking for him as well. After the sound dulled a bit, Kurama yelled, "They're in a bomb shelter a few miles from here. We should hurry."

Over the ringing in his ears, Hiei just barely made out what Kurama had shouted. Nodding and holding tighter to Yukina's hand, they ran as fast as they were able. Within a few minutes of sprinting, Aurora came into sight. Her breathing was labored and the left side of her clothing was singed, but otherwise, she appeared unharmed.

"We need to hurry. We'll be killed out here in the open," she screamed over all of the noise.

As they hurried the remainder of the way back, everything was in an obvious state of absolute chaos. People screamed as they ran, seemingly aimlessly away from the sites of previous explosions. Buildings were beginning to crumple in on themselves as their support structures were annihilated. Dust and debris coated the air like thick fog, making vision poor and breathing painful.

Aurora led the group toward the warehouse they had found. After a few minutes of running at their top speed, the silver pickup came into view. As they passed, Kurama grabbed the clothes from the bed; no sense wasting what they would eventually need. Panting, they slipped inside through the door Kuwabara had forced open.

"Yusuke!" Kurama called. "Kuwabara!"

No answer. Scanning the building, he found their energy signatures further inside. Hiei tugged Yukina and hurried in front of Kurama and his sister, leading the way. Before they could reach the safe room however, an explosion rocked the building. As the ceiling and walls started collapsing around them, all Kurama could do was take a hold of Aurora's hand and pull her close.

The last thing he remembered before his world went black was hoping that at least Hiei and Yukina made it to the safe room.

:-:-:-:-:

There were two things Kurama knew upon regaining consciousness. His world was dark as it was agonizing. As he thought upon those two things, he rationalized that dark was bad, but pain was good. Dark meant he was underneath rubble. Pain meant he wasn't paralyzed... or dead. Next, he remembered Aurora was close to him before he blacked out, but he couldn't feel her nearby now.

Slowly, very slowly, he began the agonizingly painful process of moving each limb to find broken bones. After several minutes, he concluded his left ankle was badly sprained at least, if not broken. A few of his ribs were cracked. His right shoulder was dislocated. Along with several lacerations and contusions, there was something lodged in his side. For the moment, he wasn't able to move enough to discern exactly what it was or remove it.

Carefully, he stretched out his spirit awareness, looking for his sister or any of his friends. He was beginning to lose hope, until suddenly, he felt Yusuke somewhere nearby. Faintly, he heard his name being screamed. Doing the only thing he believed would help, he flared his energy. Once, twice, three times. Then, he heard, though muffled, "There!"

He felt and heard rocks being moved from above him. He closed his eyes to lessen the possibility of dust and sharp shards getting into his eyes. He breathed shallowly and waited. It only took a few moments before he was aware of no longer being buried.

:-:-:-:-:

Yusuke couldn't breathe, couldn't feel, couldn't think. All he knew was that this was bad, and he needed to find Kurama and Aurora. He needed to find them _now._ Panting, eyes glazed with thick, unshed tears, he dug through the rubble all around where Hiei said he saw them last. No luck. Finally, he dissolved into frantically yelling their names. That surprisingly, worked better than anything else he had tried. Kurama flared his energy. Once, that gave Yusuke a general location. Twice, that gave him a much better idea. Three times, and he found him.

"There!" Yusuke began furiously digging, Hiei on his right, Kuwabara on his left. For a tense, silent three minutes and 38 seconds (he counted), they focused solely on this task and nothing else. Yusuke was certain if he thought about what he would find beneath the broken concrete and steel, he would lose every last ounce of sanity he had left.

Finally, they pulled away a large piece of concrete, and Kurama was mostly free. "Goddamn, fox-boy!" the dark-haired half-human gasped weakly.

Kurama smiled weakly. "I'm relieved to see you, too, Yusuke... I believe my ankle is broken," he whispered.

"What else?" Hiei growled.

"Shoulder, ribs, side."

"Where's Aurora?" Yusuke whispered.

Kurama closed his eyes, "I don't know."

Yusuke kept to his feet and whirled. His voice cracked as he screamed out her name again and again. "Aurora!"

:-:-:-:-:

In a silent room in the middle of one of the only buildings in the city left standing, a man with dark eyes paced, those irises concentrated on the window to his left. _Perfect._ His brilliant mind laughed. Everything was perfect. And those damn fools couldn't do a thing to stop any of it. He smiled as his feet stilled. "Come out, Kenji. I can sense you there. What do you have to tell me?"

"My lord," the humanoid demon bowed low. "All but two of the bombs were successfully deployed and detonated."

"Excellent. And what of the Toushin King and his little band of followers?"

"Unknown. However, it has been confirmed that they did not, in any way, interfere."

"Most excellent, indeed. You're dismissed if you have nothing further."

The dark-eyed man's ears caught the fading of the demon's retreating footsteps. He smiled again, bearing sharp incisors. It would seem that irritating snake did his job to near perfection. And soon, very soon, just before he killed that infernal nuisance of a snake, he would allow him to take the life of one of those damn human-loving fools. That poison in his fangs was something to be reckoned with. The only pressing question about that was... which one should die first?

_**A/N: Well, what do you think? The evil villain has been introduced, and there's much more action and angst where that came from. Please leave your thoughts on the way out. Hope you enjoyed. Also, the answer to which of the Deadly Sins the last chapter was named after, I believe, is Lust, Pride, and Envy (and maybe a bit of Wrath, but that will come later.). Let me know if you think that's correct. :) Until next time...**_


	6. Chapter 6: When Silence is Loudest

_Fighting to Live Again_

**_Author's Note: This is a sequel to Learning to Live Again. Please read that story first, otherwise this story may not make much sense. :) Please let me know what you think about this by leaving your opinions through a review or a private message. I love reading what you all think. :) Pairings are: YusukexAurora(OC), KuwabaraxKeiko and HieixMukuro. _**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own YuYuHakusho, its universe or its characters. I only own my plot and my character, Aurora. I do not make any money off of this story. _**

**_Thanks and enjoy..._**

_Chapter Six: When Silence is Loudest_

"Aurora!" Yusuke fell to his knees, digging again.

"Detective, wait..." Tired brown eyes turned to look at Hiei. The Jagan opened to its fullest and glowed brightly. After a moment or two, he pointed. "She's there."

Moving quickly to exactly where Hiei pointed, Yusuke moved the debris as fast as he could while still being cautious not to harm what lay beneath. Kuwabara moved to help, and Hiei motioned for Yukina to assist him with Kurama.

Little by little, Yusuke could begin to see her. Her arm, abdomen, neck, face. She was unconscious. Though he could feel the life still within her, his blood ran cold upon seeing her bloodied and battered body. "Hey," he murmured gently. "Rora... Wake up." Her eyes lids fluttered, but she didn't respond. Her frame was surrounded by faint white light. "Aurora...?"

Kurama hissed out a sharp gasp. "Don't touch her, Yusuke." But it was too late. The ex-detective was pulling her into his arms. As though he'd been burned, Yusuke cried out, making a last ditch effort to let her go. To no avail. His eyes glazed and dulled, becoming lifeless and unseeing as he slumped sideways.

"Urameshi! Kurama, what's wrong with him?"

Kurama winced. "He touched Aurora. She's having a vision."

"Now?" Kuwabara demanded. "Won't that hurt her more than she already is?"

The fox gave a listless shrug.

"So... What happened to Urameshi?"

"By making contact with her, he's pulled himself into her vision," Hiei answered quietly, wrapping Kurama's cuts with bandages. "There, Fox. Yukina has healed the broken bones, and I've wrapped the other injuries. Attempt to stand."

Kurama nodded and did so. "Thank you, Yukina. You've done excellent work, as usual."

The ice maiden blushed and murmured softly, "Thank you."

"Now, Kuwabara, I need you to go with Hiei to try and find a safe exit. We'll need to find out whether the explosions have ceased and if it is safe to move everyone."

They nodded. "And what will you do?"

"I shall make an attempt to wake those two." Kurama tested his limbs, pleased to note that Yukina had done an excellent job. He had only slight pain as he moved. Kneeling, he focused intently on his sister's energy. It was faint and frail, something it seldom was. He frowned, and reached out with spindles of his own energy.

:-:-:-:-:-:

Yusuke opened his eyes, or at least he thought he did, but what he saw wasn't anything he expected. In fact, events taking place around him weren't even happening in chronological order. At some point, he realized that these were visions. How he was seeing them, or where he was, fell onto the back burner as he allowed himself to watch the images carefully. Some of the visions were repeats from the day Aurora had shown him hers. So he could only assume that she was the reason he was seeing them. Some of the images were new, but equally as frightening.

_Yusuke winced as the teeth sunk into his flesh. Almost instantly after the demon's fangs disconnected from his flesh, his eyes began to glaze over. He pressed a hand against the wound, opening his mouth slightly is a silent outcry..._

_Kurama raised his gun to a man's head. The man was dressed in the uniform of a soldier. The smirk the red-headed fox gave him was remarkable in its ferocity. Without wavering, he squeezed the trigger..._

_Hiei stood overlooking the city from the top of a half-collapsed building. A frown dipped the ends of his mouth downward. He allowed the Jagan to open and glow. He closed his eyes to concentrate more thoroughly. Finally, his eyes shot open, his frown deepening. Without further delay, he flitted off. Not even a minute later, the building collapsed completely..._

_Keiko swallowed with difficulty. Though she contained no psychic abilities, she knew well what would happen to Aurora in seconds if she did not act now. She called out in her strongest voice. The soldier holding the gun aimed at Yusuke's mate turned to look at her. Whatever Keiko told him fell on deaf ears as his smirk grew and he pulled the trigger..._

_Yusuke knew from experience, especially from his run-in with that infamous ex-spirit detective, Sensui, that, while he might have demon blood, guns still could and would seriously injure him. While he still could use his Spirit energy, he doubted it would be enough to get him out of this unscathed. He needed a plan. He needed to think like Kurama. Kurama... That name brought a fierce pang of regret and sorrow. Yusuke closed his eyes as the filled with tears and raised his hands above his head in a universal sign of surrender..._

_Hiei... _

_Kurama... _

_Aurora..._

_Yusuke... _

_The images began to swirl together in an inseparable mess of color. It was now nearly impossible to discern anything useful at all..._

Yusuke gasped and jerked as he regained consciousness. Kuwabara was half-holding him in a tight embrace to prevent the ex-detective from harming himself as he came to.

When Aurora opened her eyes at last, tears sparkled brightly. Quickly, the lids were closed again, brows furrowed and teeth clenched. "Yukina," Kurama murmured, looking up. "Can you heal her, please?"

"Of course, Mr. Kurama." The broken bones snapped themselves back into place, and the bloody lacerations closed. With a gentle sigh she opened her pale eyes again, words of thanks on her lips.

Gingerly, and with Yusuke's help, she rose to her feet. With another whisper of gratitude to Yukina, she allowed Yusuke to lead her into the bathroom they had used as a bomb shelter. He insisted softly that she rest against the wall. She sat, leaned back against the concrete and sighed. Quietly, each time he asked, she repeated she was fine. But Yusuke wouldn't be fooled. Yukina had exhausted much of her healing powers on Kurama.

"Rora," he whispered. "I love you."

She lifted tired eyes to meet his own. The ghost of a smile touched her lips as she nodded. "And I you, toushin." Of all his indiscretions, she did love him. She was not fool enough to believe he loved that human woman, nor would she allow her to win. A kitsune does not ever lose.

:-:-:-:-:-:

When Kuwabara and Hiei returned, they brought better news than Yusuke was sure he had heard all day. The bombs had stopped, they said. They had also found an abandoned, fairly well hidden, demon safe house a few miles away. Somehow, the truck outside hadn't been damaged too badly, and Kuwabara reported that it could still be driven.

Slowly, all of them still in varying stages of shock, they moved to the vehicle. Some of them sat in bed of the pickup, as there were not enough seats. The distance to their destination wasn't far and only took a few minutes to arrive. They all climbed from the truck and followed Hiei and Kuwabara to the hideout. They entered through the hidden entrance at the bottom of a drainage ditch. The safe house was basically a series of large, underground tunnels that had been cheaply furnished.

"Well," Yusuke whispered, looking around, "This place will have to work for now." He sighed. "I need to go and speak with Koenma."

:-:-:-:-:

Spirit World looked much as Yusuke remembered it. Though it had only been about two decades, the sense of nostalgia was overwhelming, to say the least. He wasn't sure what to ask of Koenma or how the ruler would respond. The only thing he knew for certain was that they needed all the help they could get. He tried to force all of that from his mind as he approached the prearranged meeting location.

As Yusuke approached the front gates, he found Koenma waiting for him. "Let's go for a walk, Yusuke," he murmured as he cut a portal back to Ningenkai. As they walked through the less ruined streets of Yusuke's hometown, they talked quietly.

Finally, the ex-spirit detective turned to his former boss. "Koenma, I need to try and stop all this. Tell me who's behind it and what I have to do. I know you can."

A shadow passed over Koenma's light brown eyes, "I'm sorry, Yusuke. My hands are tied."

He was on the verge of punching Koenma for the third time in his life. "So, what? You're just going to allow Human World to be destroyed?" Though the rage burned through his soul, he kept his tone even and did not yell.

Koenma looked at him, his expression one of utter defeat. "Yusuke, I will not be permitted to interfere with the balance between the worlds. I'd be thrown from Spirit World if I did anything to help."

Furious brown eyes flashed, "You know, I used to know a guy who cared more about honor and loyalty than his standing as royalty. I guess I never really knew him at all."

Koenma blanched, "Yusuke, wait!" But the demon king was already walking away.

Hiei's eyes flashed from his perch in a nearby tree. There was no mistaking that he had seen everything. Though he had never particularly held much respect for the Spirit Prince, this was... disgraceful. Unacceptable. He could feel Yusuke's anger flowing off of him in waves. None of them would ever forgive Koenma for this.

:-:-:-:-:-:

The dark-eyed man frowned, his decision made. "Kenji!" he called out sharply.

"Yes, my lord."

"Find that damn snake, and bring him to me," he snapped. "Now."

As Kenji disappeared once again, the man with deep brown eyes gazed with malice at the wall. _Yusuke Urameshi_, he vowed silently, _I will make you curse the day you became a Demon Lord. You will beg on your knees for death by the time I am finished with you... _

:-:-:-:-:

Yusuke's posture was slouched as he made his made back into the hidden entrance of their safe house. Even with every hardship and trial he had been through, he had been naive enough to believe that everything would work out. This time, however... he wasn't so sure. If they didn't have Koenma backing them, he wasn't sure how they could succeed. Steeling his dark emotions for a time when he could be alone with him, he forced a Kurama-like mask onto his face.

"Three Eyes," he called out quietly into the darkness. He believed that Hiei would still be on watch. Only, Hiei wasn't who greeted him. It was a snake demon.

:-:-:-:-:

As Hiei made his way back to their hideaway, he allowed himself to get almost completely lost within his thoughts. Instead of returning immediately to the keep and relieving Kuwabara of watch, he slowed his pace. He came to land on a half-destroyed building. He stood, overlooking the city. A frown dipped the ends of his mouth downward. He allowed his Jagan to open and glow. He closed his eyes to concentrate more thoroughly. Finally, his eyes shot open, his frown deepening. Without further delay, he flitted off. Not even a minute later, the building collapsed completely.

_**A/N: Sorry this update has taken so long. I apologize, too, if the format is difficult to read. My computer is currently out of service, so this came from my phone. :/ Other than that, I hope you enjoy! As always, feel free to leave your thoughts on the way out. :) Thanks!**_


	7. Chapter 7: Delirious Mistakes

_Fighting to Live Again_

**_Author's Note: This is a sequel to Learning to Live Again. Please read that story first, otherwise this story may not make much sense. :) Please let me know what you think about this by leaving your opinions through a review or a private message. I love reading what you all think. :) Pairings are: YusukexAurora(OC), KuwabaraxKeiko and HieixMukuro._**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own YuYuHakusho, its universe or its characters. I only own my plot and my character, Aurora. I do not make any money off of this story._**

**_Thanks and enjoy..._**

_Chapter Seven: Delirious Mistakes_

Though Kuwabara could be more stubborn than a mule, he often did listen to his sister. After Yusuke left to speak to Koenma, Kuwabara made it a point to stay close to Aurora. He tried to start up conversation with her. "So, how long have you known Urameshi?"

Crystalline eyes turned to him slowly, as though thoroughly contemplating that simple question. "Years," she murmured at last.

Mentally, he heaved a sigh. It was like Hiei all over again. Only, she didn't blatantly insult him like Three Eyes did. "Have you lived in Demon World for a long time?"

She nodded carefully, "Yes. I've resided there the entirety of my life."

As he continued with this small talk, he watched her mannerisms carefully. She was unlike Yukina, who was gentle, naive and loving. She was not truly like Hiei either, though, who was ruthless, dark and rude. Overall, he supposed, she was most like Kurama, which made sense. Cautious, cunning and wise. However, it posed somewhat of a problem for him. While he had always counted Kurama as a friend and ally, he could never completely trust him. There was always that something being hidden. Kurama never let anyone know him entirely; there was always a small piece of himself no one knew. And it seemed his sister was much the same.

He patted her shoulder lightly with a slight smile. He was trying to be casual with her; attempt to make her feel more comfortable around him. But she stiffened at his touch. It was as if any guards she may have let down over the course of their conversation were swiftly being erected back into place. Before anything further could take place, Kurama entered the room. Kuwabara wondered briefly if perhaps the red-headed fox had been able to sense his sister's slight distress and came to the discrete rescue.

"Sister," he greeted with a smile Kuwabara had never seen before; a smile obviously reserved for her alone. "I've been looking for you."

The carrot top turned his attention back Aurora. Her posture relaxed nearly imperceptibly, but he managed to catch it. "Oh?"

"Indeed. Yukina has informed me your wounds require further examination."

She nodded. "If you'll excuse me..." she said softly to Kuwabara.

"Of course," he replied. He watched them leave before turning away himself.

Plopping down on the old, worn couch, he allowed himself to get lost in thought. He could see why Yusuke loved her. She was attractive, intelligent, and powerful. Things demons looked for in one another, and, to an extent, what humans looked for as well. Overall, she made him happy. But there was something about Yusuke that bothered him, and he couldn't manage to shake the feeling no matter how hard he tried. Somehow, he felt it had nothing to do with his friend's mate, but rather with his own wife, Keiko. But he'd be damned if he could figure out what.

:-:-:-:-:

Yusuke stiffened as he laid eyes on the unfamiliar snake demon shrouded in the shadows. The tunnel they stood in lead to the entrance of their hideout. It was long, damp and dark. Frowning, Yusuke spoke up, "Where's Hiei?"

"I know nothing of anyone by that name." The snake slithered closer. "I'm only interesssted in you, Detective."

"I don't go by that name anymore," he spat. "And you have until the count of three to get your scaly ass as far from here as you can before I blast a new hole in it."

"Sssuch a rude thing for a King to sssay."

"One."

The demon chuckled. "Ssso impatient to die."

"Two."

The moment Yusuke got to 'three', the snake demon made his move. His speed was more than Yusuke had accounted for, but he had plenty of experience fighting demons. He fired his trademark spirit gun. He wasn't the only one, however who had a trick up his sleeve.

Yusuke winced as he felt the teeth sink into his flesh. The snake demon was dead before Yusuke could even pry him off. But the damage was done. The ex-detective could feel the heady sting of poison already. "Fuck..." He stumbled, his already hazy vision beginning to swim. "Hiei," he called out into the darkness around him. His mind was so jumbled, he couldn't even find their link. His legs collapsed underneath him.

He was in luck, it seemed. "Detective?" came a hiss through the night. "What's wr-" he did not need to finish that sentence. Dropping to his knees beside Yusuke, he swore softly. Pressing a hand against the younger man's forehead, he cursed again. He was burning up.

"Hiei..." Yusuke whispered. "Get Kurama. Not Aurora."

"Why not?" the jaganshi demanded softly.

"This... This will break her." He winced, his consciousness ebbing away. "She... she..."

Hiei's eyes grew distant as he nodded slightly, remarking absently, "She loves you."

"Too much," Yusuke agreed. His brown hair was damp with sweat and hung limply into his face. His feverish eyes were tired and sunken. "Hurry, Hiei..."

Hiei nodded vacantly. As he sped away, he uttered another curse. The venom was fast-acting; already, Yusuke's motor functions were failing. At the moment, he could only be thankful the fox was fairly close by.

Yusuke's limbs trembled terribly. His muscles ached as they never had before. He fought the urge to cry out softly, to voice his agony. His eyelids drooped forcefully, but he steeled his will to keep them open. He couldn't fall asleep before Hiei returned with Kurama. He had a definite feeling he would not wake up again if he slept now. His breathing was ragged, inadequate. His lungs burned, his chest hurt, his throat stung. He wasn't dying yet, though. He had died too many times to mistake the signs of encroaching death.

Dizziness was something he found he couldn't manage to abate. It surrounded and suffocated him, drowned and gagged him, until finally, he couldn't hold back the bile any longer. The sickly stench of vomit sobered him a bit; enough clarity returned for him to realize one thing. He would not be able to remain conscious until Kurama and Hiei reached him. He was in trouble.

Slowly, his mind sluggish with toxin, he got his feet. He thought, perhaps foolishly, he should move in the direction Hiei had left, towards their safe house. He thought if he shortened the distance between them, it might help his cause. All he really managed to accomplish, however, was to allow unconsciousness to claim him sooner.

:-:-:-:-:

Hiei shot searing urgency through his link to Kurama. He could only hope the fox was getting the message. Hiei was currently something he very, very seldom was. He was panicked.

:-:-:-:-:

Kurama's head snapped up as he felt Hiei's urgency through their mental link. He had been, true to his word, examining his sister's wounds. He had given her an extract of one of his plants for pain management. What he didn't tell her was that it was also a sedative. At that particular moment, he was more than glad he did. Yusuke was in trouble.

As he got to his feet, Aurora stirred gently, "What is it, Yoko?" her words were slightly slurred.

"Nothing. Rest now."

The plant extract was too strong for her to fight much longer. She was in pain and exhausted. She gave in, and her eyelids slid closed once again.

Kurama rushed towards Hiei. Though the hideout they currently were inhabiting wasn't really spacious, it was long. Tunnels excessive in length separated nearly all of the rooms. Cursing the distance, Kurama ran harder.

Finally, he met up with Hiei. Kurama's fears were confirmed tenfold by the urgency written across the jaganshi's face. "Take me to him," Kurama requested quickly, then proceeded to follow behind his friend.

They found Yusuke unconscious not far from where Hiei left him. Kurama knelt at his side, checking his vitals. His frown deepened the longer he worked. "We need to break his fever," he told Hiei at long last. "Quickly."

"Hn. His mate is an ice wielder. Have you forgotten that?"

Kurama shook his head. "I sedated her."

"Well then, un-sedate her, fox. Surely she would want to be woken for the opportunity to save her mate's life," Hiei snapped impatiently as they made their way back toward the heart of the hideout, Kurama carrying Yusuke carefully.

Kurama nodded with a trace of reluctance. Thinking for a moment, he chose the seed he would use when they reached her.

:-:-:-:-:

Kurama pulled the seed from his hair and placed it to grow in his palm. He had laid Yusuke on the bed near Aurora. He administered the drug carefully to his sister and waited impatiently for it to wake her.

Aurora's eyelids slid open to reveal tired, blood shot eyes. "Brother," she murmured in acknowledgement. It only took a fraction of a second for her to realize Yusuke was lying beside her. His temperature alone was enough to floor her concern. "What ails him?" she questioned softly.

"He was bitten by a snake demon. You need to chill his body temperature before the fever kills him," Hiei explained shortly.

Nodding, she sat up quickly and got to her feet. The one thing Hiei could say he admired in her was her devout loyalty to Yusuke. Though it was obvious she was exhausted and in immense pain, she did not hesitate to aid him. "Stand back," she murmured, drawing her energy around her. "The chill will be uncomfortable for you both."

Slowly, the room's temperature dropped, and frost clung to Yusuke's sweat dampened hair. After several minutes of this, Aurora swayed gently on her feet. Leaning heavily against the wall, she continued her strenuous task. She had to be sure she did not draw too much cold too fast, or it would send his body into shock. She had to be careful, also, not to allow the energy she used to fluctuate, else it might not work at all.

Finally, after her limbs trembled and her breaths were labored, the fruit of her effort began to become clear. Yusuke's breathing leveled out, his face regained some color and his listless movements ceased. Aurora pulled back some of her energy as it appeared Yusuke was waking. She pushed off the wall and drew closer to him. "Yusuke," she whispered, careful to keep her icy energy around them both.

She was not met with the deep brown eyes she loved, but with deranged, dark eyes she hardly recognized. Reaching out to touch him was a mistake, the others in the room realized as Yusuke lunged at her. Wrapping powerful fingers around her throat he gazed at her. "Trying to kill me," he accused in a hushed and terrifying tone.

"Yusuke!" Kurama cried out, jumping forward to intervene.

Yusuke did not even glance in the fox's direction as he removed one hand from Aurora's throat, tightening the other. He aimed his pointer finger with practiced ease. The spirit gun blast was huge. Though he hadn't meant to kill Kurama or Hiei, he had meant to prevent them from coming to Aurora's aid.

Though Aurora was a wise, tactical fighter with much power backing her, she was absolutely no match for Yusuke's physical strength. "S... Stop," she requested with the little air that remained in her lungs. She needed to break his hold over her windpipe, or she wouldn't last more than a few seconds longer without oxygen. She knew also, that even when she lost consciousness, Yusuke may not stop, in the delirium he was currently lost in.

Though she could not bring herself to cause him harm, the fight or flight section of her brain began screaming in protest. Clawing at the fingers strangling her, she began to force ice from her fingertips. The jagged, cold edges caused Yusuke's grip to slacken for a moment, allowing Aurora to force in half a lung-full of air. "Let... go!"

"You attempted to murmur me, fox. You will die for that," he hissed in a strange, dark tone.

"No... No, I..." Dots appeared before her eyes as his hands tightened again. _Please, stop. I did not attempt to harm you. Please..._

The toushin cried out, "No mind games, witch!"

Not being able to draw breath for so long caused her mental functions to begin to shut down. She saw the darkness creeping in from the corners of her vision. By angering him with trying to communicate telepathically, she sealed her fate. His fingers dug deeply into the sides of her neck. She couldn't fight him. It was only another moment before absolute darkness claimed her completely.

Careful to remain silent, Kurama eased to his feet. He crept up behind the ex-detective and pricked his neck with a thorn. The needle-like object contained a sleeping agent. Feeling the pinprick, Yusuke roared and rounded on the fox. "You, too?" he demanded.

"No, Yusuke," he whispered. "We're your friends. Do you not recognize our faces?" the fox's tone was fragile, careful.

The drug was beginning to take effect on Yusuke, though. His eyelids drooped, and his muscles began to slacken. Kurama kept a watchful eye on Aurora, and was further concerned when she did not stir again even though Yusuke's fingers had been slackened. As the toushin tipped forward on the bed, asleep, Kurama moved to Aurora.

She wasn't breathing.

:-:-:-:-:-:

Hiei rarely had visions. Every now and then, however, the Jagan would foretell the future and reveal it to him in his sleep. The only thing that separated Jagan seeings from actually innate visions was the clarity and logic. The third eye showed its owner a very specific vision. It was chronological and precise.

_Koenma rested his head in his hands as he laid eyes on the paper in front of him. Stamp trembling in his hand, he reread the kill order. Usually, these orders came for dangerous demons residing in Demon World. Sometimes, Koenma sent his spirit detectives after them, the other times, the SDF was sent. This time, however, it was Koenma's own name on the 'Agent required to collect offender' line. It meant he, himself would be going after this particular demon. _

_That wasn't really what had him terrified, however. It was the name at the top of the page, the name of the one to be killed, that scared him most._

_**Yusuke Urameshi, Toushin-Mazoko Demon, half blood. Spirit wielder. (Alias: Son of Raizen) Known family members: Raizen (father), deceased; Atsuko Urameshi (mother), deceased; Aurora Kurama (mate), marked. **_

_Swallowing, he dropped the stamp. "Botan!" he cried out. "Get in here!" _

_The blue-haired ferry girl whipped in the door, a pleasant smile on her face. "Yes, Koenma sir?"_

_"Get me an audience with my father, immediately."_

_At his intense tone, her smile faltered, "A-alright. What's going on?"_

_"I've just received a death warrant on Yusuke Urameshi."_

_Her eyes widened, her smile replaced with a horrified expression. Koenma took the top piece of paper from the stack, the one that read Yusuke's name, and he stalked from the room. Botan's eyes skimmed over the desk before she followed her boss. What she saw, however, gave her pause. Another death warrant._

_**Yoko Kurama, Fox Demon, half blood. Earth wielder. (Alias: Shuichi Minamino) Known family members: Aurora Kurama (twin sibling), marked. **_

_She uttered a gasp and lifted the paper. On the next page underneath, she read:_

_**Aurora Kurama, Fox Demon, full blood. Ice wielder. (Alias: Aurora Urameshi) Known family members: Yoko Kurama (twin sibling), marked; Yusuke Urameshi (mate), marked.**_

_Blanching, she lifted that one, too. The following page stated:_

_**Hiei Jaganshi, Koorime Demon, full blood, Fire wielder. (Alias: None) Known family members: Yukina Koormine (twin sibling), un-marked.**_

_Though Botan didn't often get to see these death orders, she knew what they meant. 'Marked' meant they also had a warrant out for them, 'Un-Marked' meant their record was clear. Swallowing with extreme difficulty, she grabbed the other three papers and ran after her boss. "Koenma sir, wait!"_

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Kenji dropped to his knees before his master. "The snake is dead," he reported quietly.

A dark chuckle, "And Urameshi?"

"He was bitten."

"Poisoned?"

"Yes. He may die yet, sir."

"Excellent." His long, pointed ears twitched as he grin manically. "He may yet learn the error in his ways." Though he would enjoy nothing more than murdering that damn half-blood king himself, he knew the death by that snake's poison would be a long and excruciating one. And if Yusuke Urameshi suffered as he died, then the man with dark eyes could be satisfied with that.

_**A/N: Well, what do you think? Any ideas on who the main antagonist is? I know I've been vague, but it provides for a better story if I don't give it all away too soon. :) Hope you're enjoying the ride as much as I'm enjoying creating it. Until the next update.. **_


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